


love love love wherever you go

by synchronicities



Series: the island gives us what we need [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Gen, Leaving Home, Post-Canon, Separation Anxiety, kiawe's about to leave to study abroad!!!, so 4ish years after s/m
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-25 13:51:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9823391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/synchronicities/pseuds/synchronicities
Summary: It’s the day he’s due to leave. – Kiawe and Mallow, a few years down the line.





	

**Author's Note:**

> i am incapable of writing non-gen fic for pokemon tbh. kiawe's 20 here, mallow's 19.
> 
> title from '5 years' time' by noah and the whale

The day of his trip, Kiawe wakes up to find a message from Mina on his phone. “ _Bonjour_ ,” she greets in that faux-Kalosian way she’s taken to ever since leaving to study there. He blinks at her fuzzy image; she’s cut her hair shorter and her clothes are more fashionable, but her smile’s still lopsided and there’s still paint on her face. “I heard you’re supposed to leave today, pretty boy, and I’ve got something to say to you. First off, sorry I missed your turnover.” She doesn’t sound apologetic about it at all, and the thought makes him smile. “Second, your panties are probably in a twist right now, so as the person who left for abroad to study after captaincy before it became cool, lemme tell you – there is absolutely nothing to be scared of.” Fuzzy-screen-Mina pauses, looks out in the distance for a while. “Okay, there’s a lot to be scared of. But that’s part of the experience, and eventually, you’ll overcome it and be grateful that you did. Anyway, I gotta go to class, so let me know when you get to Sootopolis, all right? Have a safe trip, Kiawe!”

There are other messages – from his extended family in Heahea, from his successor, from Olivia, but he files them away for later, washes his face, and makes his way downstairs, to be greeted by his parents and sister at the table. There’s a veritable feast at the table – all his favorite dishes. His father’s favorite Magmar looks on from the kitchen proudly, and he smiles at it.

“Kiawe!” His mother jumps up to hug him. “Good morning. All your bags are packed?”

“Today’s the day, huh?” His father claps him on the back. “Hoenn!”

Hoshi pulls on his hand. “You have to buy me lots of presents!”

Instead of replying, he stares at his little sister, immortalizes the freckles dusting across her nose and the curve of her jaw. He’ll miss Hoshi’s tenth birthday. He’ll probably miss her eleventh, too, and she’ll probably go on the island challenge like she said she would, _like him_ , she’d proclaimed, and the memory surprises him. Hoshi might become a trial captain someday.

His family fills breakfast with idle chatter, like it’s an ordinary day, and not, as he’s realized frequently, likely the last time they’ll see each other in at least a year.

 _A three-year program at the Sootopolis Academy of Dance, on scholarship_ , his father had gasped, when he’d presented the letter of acceptance to them.

 _I got lucky_ , he explained. _There was a woman who just moved back here from Hoenn – her name’s Phoebe – and she saw me dance, and put me in contact with their scholarship department. And I have money saved up, from the Thrifty Megamart and from working at Mallow’s,_ he had blurted out, words stumbling over themselves to be heard. _It covers the tuition and part of the rent_. _You wouldn’t have to worry about –_

His mother had cried. _You worked so hard,_ she’d said. _Of course we’ll let you go._

He goes through the morning motions slowly, tucking things away into boxes and ensuring that he has everything he needs. There's a box of Firium Z left on his dresser. He makes a mental note to ask Hoshi to bring them to his successor, but slips a few into his carry-on just in case. He's still getting used to the newness of not being a Captain, of the sun-drenched days spent fishing in Brooklet Hill or picking herbs in Lush Jungle or atop Wela Volcano training his Salazzle being over. His bags have been packed for two days, since Mallow and Lana had come over to force him into wrangling his things into suitcases. Ilima had visited too, briefly, to give him the pep talk on studying abroad, and Professor Kukui had called to give him all sorts of advice regarding Hoenn.  

 _They all really care about you, huh_ , Hoshi had said warmly.

 _Yeah_ , he’d found himself saying. _They do_.

There’s a knock on the door, then and his sister bolts to open it to reveal Mallow standing in the doorway, her face flushed and her hair messy. She waves and grins at him conspiratorially, before moving towards his parents. “Hi, Uncle, hi Auntie,” she says, pecking both his parents on the cheek. “Hi, Hoshi. Kiawe.”

Hoshi grins at her. “Hi, Sis!”

“Hey, Mallow,” his father says, bringing her into a hug. “What brings you here today? Come to volunteer at the ranch again?”

“Not today, Uncle, but I definitely will over the weekend!” Mallow turns to Hoshi and bends down to her level. “Is it all right before I steal Kiawe for a bit? Sophocles wanted a small surprise going-away party at the marina.” She winks exaggeratedly.

Hoshi frowns. “You already _had_ a going-away party, why do you get two? You’re only leaving once!”

Their mother clucks, but Kiawe can see her mouth trembling. “Now, Hoshi.” To him, she says, “Go on, Kiawe. We’ll follow with your things, all right?”

There’s a lump in his throat when he looks at his mother, and propelled by some unknown force, he moves to hug her. “I’ll see you later?” he says, voice thick.

She pats him on the back. “Of course, dear. Take your time.”

He slips on sandals and follows Mallow out the door. “Was that a real thing?” he asks, catching up to her until they’re walking side by side.

She turns to him, grinning. Briefly, he lets himself appreciate how she’s grown up in the years past – she’s taller and has filled out more, surely, but her cheeky smile hasn’t changed at all, and the freckles dusting her nose at the height of summer haven’t quite disappeared yet. “Yup. They told me to keep it a secret from you, but who were they kidding, I can’t tell a lie at all!”

“Hah. They should have sent Lana, then.”

“That’s what I said.” They turn towards Route 6, Mallow skipping every few steps to kick a rock out of their pathway. “This path never changes, huh,” she says, contemplative. They had spent much of their childhoods running to and from Paniola and Heahea City, and Kiawe finds that he has to agree – the trees are a little broader and the shrubbery is a little thinner, but things have mostly stayed the same.

“You alright?” She pokes him in the arm when he doesn’t respond. “ _This is it_. You’re finally going to go to Hoenn to study! You look like you should be more excited.”

He plasters a smile on his face. “It’s two weeks on a boat. You know I don’t do well on boats,” he mutters darkly.

She snorts. “You’ll get over Lana’s ‘fishing trip’ someday.”

He crosses his arms and huffs. “I blame the Wishiwashi.”

“Definitely the Wishiwashi,” she says, nodding agreeably. She meets his eyes, and the two of them burst into laughter. Mallow’s laughter has never been graceful, and she snorts and slaps her leg at the memory, and for a brief moment, it’s free and bright like when they were younger.

“If she thinks I’ll ever forget what she pulled at my going-away party, she has another thing coming.”

Mallow rolls her eyes indulgently. “Ah, Lana. She’ll be terrorizing trial-goers for a few more years.”

“Is she or Ilima older?”

“Ilima is older by a year, I think… oh, wow, so after she steps down, Sophocles’ll be the only one of the original gang left.” She turns to him, smile wistful. “If you time it right, you can make it home for her turnover.”

He fidgets, uncertain. “Sorry, I might not be able to come to yours.” At nineteen, she’s next in line to retire. It’s something they had often discussed, when they were younger – what would come after their captaincy, who their successors would be, whether or not Olivia would cry during the turnover. (She had teared up at Kiawe’s, although Mallow had argued that no tears actually fell, so it didn’t count). He glances at her.

Mallow’s looking at him thoughtfully. “It’s fine,” she says. “Olivia’ll just be sadder, and then I’ll win the bet.”

Kiawe has to smile at that. “I knew she’d like me more if I were better at cooking.”

“Nah, she likes you more than me because you go shirtless all the time.” He frowns and flushes, and she laughs, bright and happy. “Just kidding! Ugh, but I hope your cooking improves abroad.”

“I’m ready to live on cup noodles.”

She mock-gasps. “You wouldn’t do that to me.”

He heaves an exaggerated sigh. “The student life.”

Mallow puffs out her cheeks in the way he’s come to know. “Kiawe, I tried _so_ hard, don’t give up now.”

“Mina says Kalosian takeout is delicious. Don’t see why I can’t rely on Hoenn’s.”

She giggles at that. “No offense to Mina, but she wouldn’t know a Grepa berry if it hit her in the face.”

He smirks. “I suppose you’ve gotten hit in the face with a Grepa berry?”

The furrow between her brows deepens. “No comment.”

He has a brief flash of Lurantis chucking berries at Mallow. “Are you serious?”

“It was one time, okay,” she says, flat, but her eyes are sparkling with good humor. She sobers, though, knocking her elbows against his. “I’m serious, though. You have to feed yourself properly. Especially if you travel to Sinnoh. Winters are horrible.”

He smiles at her again. His smiles always come easier around her. “I know you’d send me home-cooked meals if you could, mom.”

Mallow frowns and scrunches up her nose in protest, but both of them know it’s true. It’s who she has been for the longest time. Their first meeting, when her father had brought her to their farm, his mother had told him to _be nice, her family buys our ingredients!_ He’d fallen off a Tauros, but she’d dressed his scrapes and rolled his eyes at his whining.

She’d never let him live that down, but she kept volunteering at the ranch anyway. And that was that – he had a friend – someone who visited his house after school and talked about the latest battling news with him as their parents had looked fondly on in the background. She’d been there when he’d been promoted to Trial Captain, and he’d called her as soon as he got the letter, and–

He can’t imagine not having her around.

“Thank you,” he says, suddenly. She looks at him curiously, and he flushes and rushes to finish his sentence. “For the job,” he’s quick to add. “I could never have afforded this if you hadn’t.” _But for so much more, too_.

“Don’t be stupid. I would’ve done it for any of you.” Mallow pokes him in the arm. “Although, I should be thanking you. That was a solid few years of rarely having to do the dishes,” she jokes, and Kiawe wants to joke back, but the words lodge in his throat. Because how is he properly supposed to thank Mallow, who’s spoken up for and sided with him since childhood; who’s heard all his ups and downs and stuck with him regardless, whose family is the only reason he can even go on this trip?

“Cold feet?” she says when he doesn’t rise to the bait. They’re nearing the Heahea gate, now, and he’s still amazed at how well she can read him. “You’ll be fine! You said so yourself, Hoenn’s beautiful. You’ll make lots of friends.”

 _But that’s the problem_ , he wants to say. _You’ve always made all my friends for me._

She’s smiling at him, wide and honest, and it hits him like a crashing wave, what exactly three years away will mean. Lana’s sisters will finish elementary, and Lana herself will take on more responsibility with their business. Mallow will retire, do more work at her family restaurant, and visit his family on alternate weekends. Ilima will retire two years down the line, too, will probably start teaching like he’d always wanted. Moon has been talking of stepping down as Champion. Hala might retire, Olivia might settle down, Mina will come back, Acerola and Sophocles will grow up.

And he won’t be there to see any of it happen. Instead, he’ll be far away in Hoenn, unable to keep in touch.

“Kiawe?” she tries again, softly this time.

“Three years is a long time,” he murmurs. They’re passing the Pokemon Center now, and will reach the marina soon. “A lot will happen.”

Mallow quiets, understanding flashing across her face. She glances at him, her face pensive, and not for the first time, he wishes he can read her as well as she can read him.

“It’s not so long if you’re happy about it,” she says, finally. “A lot will change, yeah, but when you come back home – we’ll be here. A little older and a little different, but at our cores, still the same.” She huffs. “And geez, stop acting like it’s the end of the world. Technology is amazing! We’ll write and talk like, all the time. But with a twelve-hour time difference.”

“I guess.” He knows it’s idealistic, but he lets himself believe her – that nothing will change, that they won’t grow apart, that when he comes back they’ll slide right back into their friendship like he never left.

She frowns. “And you’ll do so much, Kiawe! You’re going to open that school, and teach so many kids. So you have to promise me,” she adds, fiercely, blinking rapidly. “You have to be happy. And you can’t forget who you are while you’re away.”

Kiawe closes his eyes, inhales, takes in the tangy, sea-salt breeze of Heahea City. When he opens his eyes, she’s still looking at him, long hair escaping their pigtails and eyes shining. “I can, can’t I?”

Mallow throws her arm around him, and instinctively, he leans into her hug. “Of course you can, doofus.” Her phone buzzes then, and she pulls away to read the message. “It’s Lana. They’re ready, so start pretending to have no idea what we’re doing here. Don’t worry, though, it’s not going to be awful – we used up all the sentimentality for your party.” She sticks her tongue out, and he tries to commit how she looks to memory, happy and beautiful in the late morning sunlight, face flushed and grin wide.

He lets his face relax into a smile again. “Will do. Thank you, Mallow,” he says, and hopes she reads all that he’s pouring into it. “You have to watch out for my family too. Make sure Hoshi does her homework and takes her challenge seriously.”

“Of course,” she says, easily. “Of course I will.”

They reach the marina and Kiawe pulls an appropriately shocked face when Acerola and Sophocles bring out an outrageously decorated banner and cake. Olivia gives a winded, teary-eyed speech which Lana diligently records, Professor Kukui asks him to study Hoenn moves, Lillie gives him a book of Hoenn Pokemon, and Hau gives him malasada for the journey. Moon even cracks a smile and tells him to visit Kanto. His family shows up with his bags in tow and give him a long, long hug. It's a blurry haze, honestly - he hardly even notices when the boarding announcement for his trip resonates over the building’s speakers.

Kiawe looks around – at this collection of warm, lovely, welcoming people, all grinning and smiling at him, and aches. In two weeks, he’ll be surrounded by Sootopolis’s marble landmarks and smooth adobe houses, bask in Hoenn’s slightly cooler sunlight, listen to an unfamiliar language, and battle with strange new Pokemon. For a moment, the fear and nausea rise again.

But in two weeks, he’ll be studying to fulfill his dreams, and his family will be here waiting.

" _Zzzt_! Let's take a photo before fire boy leaveszz!" Moon's Rotom chirps, and it's so  _easy_ , slotting himself in the middle, Ilima's arm around his shoulders and Kiawe's arm around Mallow's waist, Acerola rushing to kneel in front of him, Hau and Lillie pulling Moon into the frame. The Rotom prints the photo cheekily, and Moon hands it to him, a secretive smile on her face. It's a lovely shot, everyone's faces crowded into the frame, flushed and happy, and Kiawe breaks into a smile just looking at it. "May the gods bless you," she says, quiet. "I'll have Rotom send a copy to Mina."

"She'll regret missing my turnover for sure," he tells her. "Good luck to you as well, Moon."

“Well, best of luck, then,” says Ilima, clasping Kiawe’s hand in his.

“You’ve gotta come home famous,” says Lana.

“Take lots of pictures,” says Sophocles.

“Write often!” says Acerola, cheery.

“We’ll be right here, okay?” says Mallow, warmly, and with that, he lets himself step on the ramp. One foot, then another, shoes clanking on the metal until he reaches the doorway. He turns around, sees them still calling out goodbyes and waving, framed by Heahea’s open waters, and lets himself wave back.

If he lets himself cry a little on the boat, they’re better off not knowing.

**Author's Note:**

> One day i swear to God I will write Kiawe/Ilima but today is not that day.
> 
> I spent an unholy amount of time imagining Kiawe and Mallow's dynamic from what the game gives us. They're probably good friends, at least; they look closer in age to each other than to Lana (although with Pokemon who knows really), they teach you the same battle style, she volunteers on Paniola Ranch, and he gave her brother a Magmar. I headcanon that they’ve known each other since childhood (and met Lana as captains), and Kiawe, who is mentioned to have trouble socializing, relies on her quite a lot. While they're both kind of shy, Mallow is less socially awkward than he is. And you know that Sun event where Kiawe gets fired from his job and he Angsts because he wants to save money so he can study abroad? You bet your ass Mallow's family gave him a part-time job on the spot.
> 
> Did I mention I love the trial captains? I DO, SO MUCH. What a well-designed, fleshed out bunch of kids, even if they're side characters.


End file.
